Remove the core and cut cauliflower into florets making sure the size is uniform, I prefer not to go smaller than a couple of inches, then blanche in rapidly boiling salted water until they are still a little firm, not fully cooked as they are going in the oven later.

In this video the cauliflower took around 5 minutes to boil, I removed from the water and arranged in a suitable sized oven dish. Do not refresh in ice water as they will be water-logged, let them steam dry, and arrange nicely so the florets are facing upwards. Then start the béchamel by melting the butter

When the butter has melted fully, add in the flour and stir over a low heat for a few minutes until it comes together to form a roux and the raw flour is cooked out a little. Time to add the milk in stages add a little at a time and each time move the roux around the pan to gather up the milk, then beat it to a velvety smooth consistency before adding the next splash of milk, this is my best method for avoiding lumps

Here you can see me moving the roux around then beating it smooth before adding more milk, the last image has all milk added and gently simmering still over a low heat before seasoning with pepper but not salt at this stage as we are adding salty cheese

Add about 2/3 of the cheddar and parmesan, reserving some for the topping, stir vigorously until it has all melted and the cheese sauce is silky smooth

Time to taste for seasoning now to your liking, then drown the cauliflower with as much sauce as you like, I had a little too much, if you do check out my previous recipe for Croque Monseuir to use it up. Then sprinkle over the remaining cheese

So into a hot oven 220c until it is bubbling and brown and you cannot resist it, get in there with a big serving spoon and see if how much you eat before anyone else gets in there.

I love bacon or ham with mine but also this goes so well with a roast dinner, these screen shots are taken from my youtube channel, feel free to check it out there.https://www.youtube.com/watch?bhi=WMzk58PI9JI&t=38s